An inspirational new employment campaign which aims to see more young people in Scotland taking up aquaculture as a career was launched recently by Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy. The recruitment drive – led by partners from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), Lantra and Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA) – is targeted largely at people under 30, including school-leavers, university students, and graduates.

The sector’s ‘Aquaculture Growth to 2030’ strategy has predicted that the total number of aquaculture related jobs in Scotland will rise from 8,800 to 18,000 over the next decade, so the seven short films highlight the variety of rewarding roles on offer to new entrants.

Covering the breadth of the sector, from farm management to breeding programmes, the videos feature young people employed by producers such as Dawnfresh, Mowi and the Scottish Salmon Company, to feed maker BioMar and genetics expert Xelect. Two of the young people are former winners of Lantra Scotland’s learner of the year awards, which are now called the ALBAS.

A sector skills review, published by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in 2018, identified that there were 1,539 students on aquaculture-related courses at higher education level. However, a significant gap exists in the number of students embarking on a career in the sector, with only 38% of graduates working or undertaking further study – a figure which is not specific to aquaculture.

Liz Barron-Majerik, director at Lantra, added: “Lantra was delighted to be involved in this project. It was hugely collaborative from the outset, everyone working together to identify a wide range of individuals who would be best placed to communicate the hugely diverse opportunities within the sector. I think the films clearly demonstrate the passion and enthusiasm of those working in Scottish aquaculture; for their job, the environment and the people they work with.”

Future plans for the campaign include taking the films to the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland on a high school road trip, and also providing secondary schools and colleges in relevant areas with a ‘New Wave of Talent’ kit for careers advisors and pupils to use.

You can watch the videos on YouTube or find out more about aquaculture careers from Lantra Scotland.